Car pet-stretcher



R. NE L M T NS MP KP JG d d 0 M 0 Patented Jam-5, 1897 F 1 as no. PHOTO-LITHO..WASHINGYON n c UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

CARPET-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,816, dated January 5, 1897.

Application filed June18,1896. Serial Nb. 595,457. (Nomocleh) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN M. N EWLON, of Falls Church, in the county of Fairfaxand State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in carpet-stretchers; and it consists in the simple construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and particularly referred to in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple carpet-stretcher consisting of merely two parts, a lever having a foot adapted to engage the carpet and a brace or link pivoted at one end to the lever above the said foot and having its other end formed into a foot or base portion which is adapted to receive the foot of the operator, the foot of the operating-lever and the foot of the link or brace each having teeth adapted to engage the carpet, all of which will be fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the device in full lines before the slack of the carpet is taken out and in dotted lines when the slack is taken up. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the dotted-line position of Fig. 1 in full lines and in dotted lines the next 'position assumed by the operating-lever by means of which the slack is taken up. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the under side of one of the feet. Fig. 4. is a detached inverted perspective view of the foot '5, showing the teeth or projections thereon.

Referring now to the drawings, A indicates an operating-lever having at its lower end a foot 13, which is at a slightly obtuse angle to the said lever A and is provided at its under side with teeth a, adapted to engage the carpet. This foot B is provided with a series of openings 17, some at its sides and some at its end, in which a tack is adapted to be supported after the carpet is stretched and ready to be tacked. A link or brace D has one end pivoted at the point (1 in a slot 6, formed in the operating-lever A, and the link or brace I) has its end provided with a tongue adapted to extend into the said slot 6. As shown in Fig. 2, the shoulders formed by the tongue f are rounded, as shown at g, which forms a rocking action, so that the strain is partly upon the shoulders, as shown, as well as upon the pivotal point d. The opposite or free end of the brace D is prox ided with a flat foot or base portion 2', having projections at its under side, as shown in Fig. 4, to engage the carpet and adapted to receive the foot of the operator, as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation the stretcher is placed in the position shown in Fig. 1 upon any part of the carpet it is desired to stretch, and the foot of the operator is placed upon this foot t' and extending up upon the brace D, preferably as shown, by means of which the foot t' is held in contact with the carpet and a downward pressure exerted upon the pivotal point of the said brace, which tends to hold the foot B of the operating-lever A in contact with the carpet. Now a movement of the operating-lever A in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 throws the foot 71 'into the position shown in dotted lines and creates a slack h in the carpet, as shown in Fig. 1, and by moving the lever A in its original position, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the foot B of the lever is carried forward and the slack h taken up between the brace-foot and the foot of the lever and the slack m caused at a point beyond the foot B of the operating-lever A, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Then in this position, the notches b in the foot B are adapted to receive and support a tack which may be driven through the carpet, and thus the slack held, while the carpet may be stretched at a point beyond, or else the carpet may be permanently attached at this point should the stretching be at the end or sides of the carpet, as the case may be, as will be readily understood.

The operating-handle A is provided with a detachable handle portion 12, preferably, in

order that the operator may stand to operate the stretcher. Should, however, it be desired, as it is frequently advantageous, to have the operator upon his knees, the handle end is detached, so that a short lever A is then provided, by means of which it can be readily operated when the user is upon one of his knees with his foot or hand resting upon the brace, as before described.

I am aware that it is not novel to provide a carpet stretcher of simply two pieces, namely, an operating-lever and a brace or link; but in these instances the operatinglever and the brace have not been provided with feet and the brace placed at an incline, as shown, whereby the foot of the brace may be used for a combined function of holding the teeth in contact with the carpet and also causing a downward strain upon the foot B of the operating-lever. Nor have they been so constructed that the operation here de scribed of moving the lever in one direct-ion to cause a slack and then by moving it in the opposite direction to take up the slack, as also shown clearly in the figures.

As shown, it will be seen that a very simple construction is provided, whereby the device may be placed upon the carpet at any point and the carpet tightened as may be desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A carpet-stretcher consisting of a lever having at its lower end a roughened surface adapted to grip the carpet only, a brace having its upper end pivotally connected to the lever at a point above its lower end, the lower end of the brace having an outwardly-prowith the surface of the carpet, said foot having its under side roughened to grip the carpet only, whereby the brace is adapted to receive the foot of the operator to hold the roughened surfaces in contact with the carpet only and to move forward to take up the slack of the carpet, a forward step-by-step movement of the two members of the stretcher being thus accomplished by moving the lever back. and forth, substantially as described.

2. A carpet-stretcher comprising an operating-lever having at its lower end a laterallyextending fiat foot provided with marginal notches adapted to support a tack, said foot having teeth upon its under side, of a bracerod as D extending upward at an inclination with its upper end pivotally connected to the operating-lever at a point above the said foot 13, the opposite or free end of the link pro vided with an outwardly extending foot adapted to rest flatly upon the carpet, said foot having teeth upon its under side and the same adapted to be operated in a manner by the foot of the operator to hold the foot of the brace and the foot of the operating-lever upon the carpet, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. NEWLON. Witnesses:

' J. M. NEsBI'r,

DAVID E. MOORE.

ecting foot engaging and extending in a plane 

